Reflections on the art, life, and legacy of American artist Carl Schmitt (1889-1989)

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Month: December 2016

“Those who believe in magic, the poets and the pagans, should be tenderly handled by the theologian. The magician, as with the shepherd, is the first worshiper of Christ, and Christ without magic is unthinkable: the burning bush, the speaking stones, the possessed pigs, the fermented water, and so on, culminating in the bread which is the flesh of God and the bleeding grape from the vine of the murdered Christ.” —from the essay “Miracles” (1943)

The new book Silvermine by CSF director Samuel Schmitt is now available at 40% off today only —Monday December 12, 2016. Order yours now in time for Christmas.

Carl Schmitt’s wife Gertrude and his brother Robert enjoy the view from the back of Robert’s house in Silvermine in this photograph from the 1920s. The images shows just how open Silvermine – now covered almost entirely with dense woods – was at that time. One resident has written, “From the church spires of New Canaan to the west one could see all the way to the silver ribbon of the Sound and the misty outline of Long Island to the south.” (photograph from the Carl Schmitt Foundation archives on page 16 of Silvermine.)

Through dozens of vintage photographs the new book tells the fascinating history of Silvermine—the hamlet Carl Schmitt called home for 70 years—and its rich social, artistic, and cultural life during the heyday of the artists’ colony in the first half of the last century.

“Today we are prone to forget that Christ combines the Aesthetic, the Expedient, and the Religious Life. We forget that He came not only because man needed hope for eternal beatitude but that he was also the historic concrete answer to the desire of the wildest imagination: the appearance on earth of a God-man. History united to myth.” (1960)

Through dozens of historic photographs the new book Silvermine tells the story of the bucolic hamlet Carl Schmitt called home for over 70 years. CSF director Samuel Schmitt recounts how the picturesque valley, once buzzing with sawmills, was transformed into a cultural hub with the coming of the artists, including Carl Schmitt, who formed the Silvermine Guild in 1922. It’s part of the well-known “Images of America” series from Arcadia Publishing. See a preview and order here from Amazon.com. Your purchase benefits the Carl Schmitt Foundation.

In these short essays Schmitt has gathered and distilled the fruits of his contemplation over a long lifetime, revealing a man whose words on paper are as remarkable as his work on canvas. The artist offers a fresh perspective on such topics as art, culture, personality, mythology, and history, all informed by the far-reaching perspective introduced in The Vision of Beauty. Along the way he touches on more immediate concerns of the media, respectability, large families, and fatherhood with his unerring sense of irony and wry humor.

You can see a preview of the book (including a complete table of contents) here.

The CSF is offering its stunning coffee-table book Carl Schmitt: Vision of Beauty at 25% off the regular price. Shipping and handling are free for this special offer. Each book that you purchase benefits the Carl Schmitt Foundation. See a preview of selected pages here.

RequestAPrint uses state-of-the-art ultra-giclee printers on semi-gloss heavyweight paper or medium weight fine art canvas. The prints are available in any size and in variety of frame styles. Here is just a sample of the paintings offered:

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Order the new book of Carl Schmitt’s essays, The Conscience of Beauty

This new collection gathers the fruits of Carl Schmitt's contemplation over a long lifetime, revealing a man whose words on paper are as remarkable as his work on canvas. The seventy essays offer a fresh perspective on such topics as art, culture, personality, mythology, and history, all informed by the far-reaching perspective introduced in The Vision of Beauty.